


The Dating Game

by scrubclub



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Ned Dayne is so useful sometimes, and fail miserably, in which Sansa & Co. try to be matchmakers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-24
Updated: 2018-05-09
Packaged: 2019-04-27 13:20:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14426283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scrubclub/pseuds/scrubclub
Summary: Alternative title: The 5 boys Arya Stark doesn’t want to date & the 1 boy she does.Arya's friends try to heat up her romantic life by playing matchmaker and it inadvertently works, eventually.





	1. The Deal

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ASOIAF fic and I just wanted do something light & fluffy & fun.

“To be honest, King Robert seems like a bit of a prick.”

 

“He fought with warhammer, though. You’re allowed to be a prick if you kill your enemies with a giant hammer.” 

 

“Hot Pie’s right, Gen, the warhammer thing is pretty sick.”

 

Arya rolled her eyes and looked up from her notebook. “I’m going to kill all three of you, no hammer required, if you don’t shut up and do your work.”

 

“As m’lady commands,” Gendry didn’t look up from his textbook but Arya saw him smirk. 

 

Two weeks into the semester, the boys had learned Arya’s last name and immediately began playfully teasing her about her noble status. Despite her insistence that that stuff didn’t matter and that her family’s relation to the royal family was so distant that it shouldn’t even count, Gendry had taken to calling her things like “m’lady” when she got too bossy. This happened relatively frequently. 

 

Usually his comment would have earned him a kick to the shins, but he was sitting diagonally across from Arya today and her legs couldn’t reach. She opted instead to throw her eraser at his head. Gendry cried out, sending Hot Pie and Lommy into a fit of laughter and earning the table a disapproving look and a “Shhh!” from the librarian’s desk. 

 

When Professor Yoren had announced on the first day of History 201 that the rows the students were currently seated in would form their groups for a year-long group project, Arya had been more than a little concerned with her seat selection. In the row across the aisle sat three eager looking girls with neat notebooks and fresh textbooks - one girl even had the non-required textbook. Arya had looked to her left at the three boys in her own row. 

 

One, a skinny boy with straw-like blonde hair, was absent mindedly spinning a pencil in his hands. Beside him sat a large boy who was eating a muffin while he scrolled through his phone. The only one who had brought a textbook was the tall, black-haired boy that sat furthest from her, though she didn’t feel too encouraged due to the fact that he was using his tattered textbook as a pillow as he slept on the desk. 

 

Each group had been assigned an era of Westerosi history to focus on for a research project that consisted of multiple presentations, written assignments, annotated bibliographies of existing texts, and recorded minutes of weekly group meetings. The idea was to promote collaboration and to emphasize the importance of working as a team. Arya’s group had been given Robert’s Rebellion and she had resigned herself to doing the whole thing with no assistance. To her great surprise, the somewhat pathetic looking boys that she was stuck with turned out to be competent, helpful, and generally hardworking - when they weren’t talking about warhammers. 

 

Lommy had some attention issues but did well when he was given specific tasks to complete. Hot Pie was engaged and helpful as long as he wasn’t hungry. The sleeper - Gendry - had been the biggest concern for her, but it turned out that he was a bartender at one of the campus bars, had been called in to close the night before their first class, and just hadn’t had time to grab coffee that morning. He was actually quite intelligent when he wasn’t napping on his desk.

 

No, despite her initial worries, Arya had learned to quite enjoy her little team. The boys had known each other since first year but there were very few, if any, moments where Arya felt out of place during their team meetings. Now, six weeks into their first semester, their studies held the air of a casual group of friends hanging out, and - despite their occasional distracted conversations concerning warhammers and the like - Arya quite liked the boys. Half of their meetings ended up running later than intended because -  _ shit. _

 

It was Thursday, which meant that it was girls night, which meant that Sansa and her friends were expecting Arya at 7. Arya checked her phone - 7:08pm and 3 new texts from Sansa. “Shit!” The boys all looked up and the librarian narrowed her eyes at their table again. “I’m late again, and they’re actually going to kill me this time. I’ll see you guys in class. Text me if you think of anything we should add to that report on Pycelle’s book!” She ran out of the library and started towards the apartment she shared with her sister. It was a warm October evening - something Arya still wasn’t used to, despite having already completed a year at Oldtown University. 

 

It was 7:23 by the time Arya arrived home. She braced herself as she unlocked the door and was met with five unimpressed girls holding five full wine glasses looking over at her from the living room. Sansa was closest to her and Margaery sat beside her, an eyebrow raised. Jeyne and Ygritte were both shaking their heads. Gilly looked almost apologetic. 

 

This was the third week in a row that Arya had been late for their get together and she knew she’d have to make it up to them somehow. Sansa and Margaery, the orchestrators of this weekly gathering, took punctuality and commitment very seriously. Though the conversations often veered into very silly territories, Arya genuinely enjoyed these Thursday evenings, and she didn’t want the girls to think that she was intentionally blowing them off. 

 

“I’m really, really sorry, I swear. The guys and I were kind of on a roll with the latest section of our project and I forgot to check my phone and -”

 

“Who  _ are _ these guys? Are they hot?” Margaery smiled as she spoke, “They better be if they’re keeping you from us.” 

 

Arya scoffed at the question. Sure, Hot Pie was adorable in a teddy bear kind of way and Lommy might be cute if you were into boys who desperately tried to look as if they aren’t trying. Gendry was objectively the best looking of the three. He was tall and his messy black hair fell in front of his face in an effortless way that Lommy would probably kill for and his eyes were bluer than any eyes Arya had ever seen. If he hadn’t been so stubborn and surly, Arya might think him handsome.

 

“They’re losers. Nice losers, but I can promise you that the men we should be blaming are all of the ones who wrote conflicting essays about Rhaegar Targaryen’s character.” 

 

Sansa rolled her eyes. “No wonder you get along with them, you’re the biggest loser I know,” she said lovingly before adding, “You do owe us, though, okay?” Gilly, Jeyne, and Ygritte nodded in agreement. 

 

“I know, I know. You guys name it and I’ll do it,” Arya sighed.

 

Ygritte’s eyes lit up. “Set me up with your hot brother.” Ygritte had seen photos of Jon on Facebook and thought that his ‘whole lost-puppy look’ was adorable. 

 

“Set _me_ up with your _hotter_ brother!” Jeyne had known the Stark sisters since primary school and had a crush on Robb Stark for just as long. 

 

“No one here is dating our brothers,” Sansa said flatly.

 

“We can sort out Arya’s punishment later,” said Margaery, “now, let’s play Never Have I Ever, it’s tradition.”

 

* * *

 

 

Since Sansa had, over the months, exhausted her Arya-targeted offerings (“Never Have I Ever broken into my sister’s ex-boyfriend’s house and released a live possum” “Never Have I Ever smashed a beer bottle with the intent of using it as a weapon” “Never Have I Ever befriended a mugger”), and since repeats were prohibited, Arya had been doing very well at the game for the past few weeks. While all of the other girls would take a drink almost every time anything to do with boyfriends or dating came up, Arya had barely made a dent in her glass after almost a half hour. She was feeling quite proud of herself when Margaery turned to her suddenly and asked, “Arya, have you ever kissed anyone?”

 

The four other girls turned to her and Arya felt her face grow warm. “Yes!” she insisted. 

 

“Who?” Sansa asked, curious. 

 

“Well, Mycah.” 

 

“Okay, kissing your gay best friend when you were both, like, twelve doesn’t count.”

 

Arya flushed. She had never actually kissed a boy except for Mycah, and Sansa was right - that hadn’t really counted. At the beginning of the school year, some guy at a party had stuck his tongue down her throat, but she decided that that also didn’t count because she definitely did not kiss him back and had punched him in the face as soon as she had untangled herself from his embrace. 

 

Margaery seemed to read her mind. “While we can all agree that you punching Ramsay Bolton in the face was amazing, that one also doesn’t count cause he’s gross and you did not ask for that. But has there really been no one else?”

 

Arya had never really thought too hard on the topic of kissing boys, but she supposed it might be nice if it was the right boy. She just had never met anyone that she had felt all that inclined to kiss and, in all honesty, romance sounded kind of stressful. She had always had an abundance of friends and that had been enough for her.

 

Jeyne sighed whimsically and said, “Not even like a quick kiss on your front porch after a first date?”

 

“I’ve never been on a date,” Arya shrugged. 

 

The reaction would have been comical had it not been directly related to her romantic ineptitude. Margaery choked on her sip of wine, Jeyne froze with a cracker halfway to her mouth, Ygritte somehow looked both impressed and scandalized, and Gilly looked deeply pitiful. Sansa was looking at her curiously and was the one to speak first. 

 

“You’re waiting for someone good,” her sister said thoughtfully. Sansa Stark had had her fair share of terrible boyfriends.

 

“Fuck that!” Ygritte said through a mouthful of cracker, “That’s boring! Arya, you need to put yourself out there. You need to experience things!”

 

“My linguistics tutor is kind of cute!” Jeyne said excitedly, “Please can I set you up with him? He’s like dorky and weird but in a way that I feel you would totally vibe with.” 

 

Arya opened her mouth to protest but Ygritte beat her to it. 

 

“No, I have a friend that is literally perfect for her! Please, I call dibs!” 

 

Jeyne opened her mouth to argue but Margaery cleared her throat and said, “Come to think of it, I believe that Arya said that she owes all five of us a favour…” 

 

_ No. _

 

“Absolutely not.”

 

“You said you’d do whatever we asked! And this will be fun - you’ll get to see what the Oldtown U dating scene is like and we’ll all get to play matchmaker!” Margaery looked as if Christmas had come early. Arya stared at her friends, horrified. They could not make her do this. She turned to Sansa and looked at her pleadingly. 

 

Her sister sighed, “I do think it would be good for you to put yourself out there a bit more. Plus, I know a few guys who have asked if you’re single…” 

 

“Sansa!”

 

“I think you should give this a shot, Arya.” Gilly spoke softly, “The first time I met Sam, I never would have guessed that I’d fall in love with him! Sometimes it’s worth taking a chance.”

 

Gilly and her boyfriend had been together for almost three years and were undeniably adorable. Arya sighed and tried to think of a loophole.

 

“What if one of the dates goes really well? Would I still have to go out with your other selections?” 

 

Margaery clasped her hands together and grinned. “That is the kind of optimism we’re looking for, Arya!” She put her hands out in a peaceful gesture, “We promise that if you can prove that a second date is taking place, you won’t have to go out with the next guy. But don’t try to pull anything because we  _ will  _ find out.” 

 

Arya loved Margaery, but sometimes her sister’s best friend could be a little frightening. She cursed herself for being late so frequently, for promising to make it up to them in whatever way they wanted, for being so pathetic that her punishment was being forced to have a love life. “Fine.”

 

The girls cheered and immediately began arguing about who got to set up the first date. After several minutes of bickering, Jeyne came out on top because she had been the one to suggest it first. Ygritte’s friend would be next, then Margaery’s pick, followed by Gilly, and finally Sansa, who at least had the decency to spare Arya an apologetic glance amidst her excitement. Arya groaned and topped up her still mostly-full wine glass. What had she gotten herself into?


	2. Elmar

Aside from the fact that he was weird “in a cute way”, Jeyne hadn’t told Arya much about the first boy she had been set up with. Jeyne only said that his name was Elmar and he was really good at linguistics and he would meet her at Walder’s Bar and Grill at 8:30 on Friday night. Sansa had put a braid in Arya’s hair that evening and made her promise to give the whole dating thing a chance. 

 

Walder’s was a few blocks off campus, in a mostly industrial area of Oldtown. It wasn’t the sort of neighbourhood Arya usually associated with restaurants, so she was curious to see what kind of spot Elmar would be taking her to. The walk over had been sunny and pleasant and despite the thousands of anxieties bouncing around in her head, Arya also felt a little bit excited. Weird-in-a-cute-way was probably a better option than boring or just plain weird. Plus, she figured she was a little weird herself, so maybe they would get along. 

 

She spotted Walder’s from across the street. It was a dark looking place with a faded green-tinged awning. She crossed over and hesitantly opened the door. Inside, the air felt almost damp and the decor could only be described as a style that might have been considered fashionable in 1983. A skinny boy that had been sitting alone at the only occupied table stood up when she entered. 

 

“Arya, I assume?” His voice was posh but had a studied quality to it. He pulled out the chair across from him and gestured to it, “My lady, please take a seat.”

 

Arya bit her tongue to stop herself from laughing at being unironically addressed as “my lady” and sat down. Elmar did the same. Though he wasn’t the kind of boy she usually found handsome, Arya could see what Jeyne meant - Elmar was kind of cute, despite his obvious dorkiness. He had carefully combed hair that was slicked to one side and wore a brown three-piece suit. Arya suddenly felt a little self conscious about her decision to wear a casual sweater and a skirt. She pushed that concern aside and smiled at her date.

 

“Hi”

 

“Hello. You’re far prettier than I imagined,” Elmar said. 

 

Arya laughed, a little unsure what to make of that comment. “Were you expecting fangs or something?” She hoped her voice sounded light. 

 

“No no, it’s just that most people say that your sister is the prettier one. I think you’re also pretty, though.” 

 

Arya was a breath away from asking him to tell her more about these people who told him that she was the worse looking sister when Sansa’s voice came into her head saying, “Give him a chance”. 

 

“Thanks,” was what she opted for instead. He smiled and folded his napkin in his lap. 

 

Now what? Here, Arya realized, was where she needed Sansa to appear with some cue cards. What do people talk about on dates? She decided to go with the one thing she knew about Elmar.

 

“So, Jeyne tells me you like languages!” To Arya’s horror, Elmar’s face grew stony.

 

“I don’t  _ like _ languages, I study languages. It’s not a hobby for me, it’s my field. I speak 4 languages and I wouldn’t say that I  _ like _ any of them especially, but they are all useful in their own way.” He spoke as if he was a schoolteacher speaking to a pupil who had just asked a silly question.

 

“Do you speak Braavosi?” Arya tried, “I speak a little bit, but I can’t read or write in it or anything.” She tried to keep her tone light despite the fact that Elmar Frey was becoming less appealing every time he opened up his mouth. 

 

Elmar scoffed and explained that Braavosi was a pidgin language that combined the worst aspects of superior languages and retained no useful structure. Arya, having no idea what to say to that, simply nodded. She was relieved to see that a waiter had appeared at their table. 

 

“Hi, my name is Lothar and I’ll be serving you today. Do you know what you want?” The server had straw-like hair and watery eyes. He looked down at them with a bored expression. Arya glanced around the table.

 

“Oh, I don’t think we have menus yet,” she said politely. She looked up at Lothar, who had his eyebrows raised. 

 

“They’re at the front desk. You’re supposed to take one when you arrive.” Lothar said this as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Arya apologized and glanced at Elmar, who was looking at her expectantly. 

 

“I’ll.. go get them then.” Elmar didn’t react to this, so Arya stepped over to the front desk and brought back two menus. Lothar had remained beside the table, so Arya quickly scanned over the choices. 

 

“I’ll have the roast chicken,” Elmar said without looking at his menu. 

 

Arya ordered a salad and a glass of water and thanked Lothar, who reminded her to put the menus back when she was finished with them. Arya stared after him for a second before turning to Elmar. 

 

“That odd, hey? I’ve never eaten at a restaurant that does menus like that. He seemed kind of annoyed...” She had hoped that their weird waiter would be something for them to bond over. She had hoped wrong.

 

“That’s my cousin,” said Elmar. 

 

“Oh.”  _ Great.  _ “I’m sorry, I’m sure he didn’t mean it rudely at all.” Arya wasn’t sure what to say next. They sat in silence until Lothar brought her some water in a grimy looking glass. She thanked him and then reverted back to silence. 

 

“So,” Arya began after it became too painful to remain quiet, “did you grow up in Oldtown?” 

 

“Yeah.” 

 

“That’s awesome, it’s so pretty here.”

 

Elmar sighed boredly and said “It’s too hot. And when it’s not hot it’s stormy.”

 

“That’s fair! I’m still getting used to it - I grew up in Winterfell.”

 

“I know.”

 

Arya exhaled. _ Yikes _ . They sat in silence for what seemed like forever before their meals arrived. Elmar immediately began digging into his chicken dish. Arya stabbed a piece of spinach with her fork but as she lifted it, she noticed that it came with a long black hair. She set her fork down and leant towards Elmar. 

 

“Hey, there’s a hair in my salad.” He just looked at her, so she continued, “I’m not trying to be rude I just don’t think I can eat it, it’s a pretty big hair.”

 

“Are you going to tell people?” 

 

“About the hair? I don’t know, maybe?” Arya didn’t see why that would matter. “I’m not sure this place is the cleanest spot in town, no offence to your cousin’s bosses.” 

 

“This is my dad’s restaurant.”  _ Ah. _

 

“Oh, I’m really sorry, I just-” 

 

“How is everything tasting?” Lothar had reappeared. 

 

“Arya’s found a hair in her salad.” Elmar said it as if it was somehow Arya’s fault for noticing the hair, “She doesn’t think our restaurant is very clean.”

 

She looked between the cousins, searching for something to say. 

 

“I think we’re ready for the bill,” Elmar said, and Arya was thrilled that he had finally said something that she agreed with. 

 

Lothar returned with one bill and handed it to Arya. She looked at Elmar and couldn’t help herself from asking, “Is your meal on the house?”

 

“Yeah,” answered Lothar, “his dad owns the place.”  _ How silly of me, _ thought Arya. She looked at her bill. They had charged her 2 crowns for her glass of water and she would be paying five times that for the salad she didn’t eat a bite of. Usually Arya Stark wasn’t one to avoid a fight, but the thought of spending a moment more than necessary in the company of Elmar and Lothar Frey was enough to convince her to just pay the bill. She didn’t tip. 

 

Arya stood up and Elmar followed suit. “Thanks,” she said “tonight was…thanks.” 

 

Elmar nodded. “Well, I think I’m off to bed,” he announced.

 

“I - what?” 

 

“We live above the restaurant,” he said, nodding towards a door to his right, “Good evening, Arya. Safe trip home.” And just like that, Elmar Frey was gone. Arya looked at Lothar, who was staring at her as if he was hoping that she would leave so that he, too, could go to bed. She sighed. 

 

“Night, Lothar.” She turned and left and heard the door promptly lock behind her. It was chillier than it had been when she’d arrived, and the sun had long since set. She checked her phone and saw that it was just after 10. She knew that Sansa had been out at a party with the girls and that waiting for a cab on a Friday night was a futile endeavor. She resigned herself to walk home.

 

On her sunny walk over, Arya had thought that maybe the date would go well and that Elmar might offer to walk her home - she had assumed he also lived on campus and definitely would not have guessed that he slept above the weirdest restaurant in Oldtown. She pulled out her phone and texted Jeyne to ask if by “weird in a cute way” she had meant “weird in a weird way”. 

 

Arya took solace in the fact that there was almost no chance that the next four dates could be quite that bad. Though the more she thought about it, the more concerned she became about Ygritte’s guy, who, knowing Ygritte, was bound to be a totally different kind of weirdo. A honk interrupted her train of thought.

 

She looked up to see a well-worn sedan pull over and the passenger side door pop open. She leant down and saw Gendry leaning across from the driver’s side. “You headed back to campus?” 

 

Arya was chilly and eager to avoid the long, lonely walk home, so she didn’t hesitate to get in. She glanced over at him and thanked him. He had a funny expression on his face, the one he got when he was thinking too hard about something. “No offence,” he said after a moment, “but why are you walking alone in this area so late on a Friday evening?” She couldn’t decide if he sounded concerned or amused. Maybe both. 

 

“No offence, but why are you driving around alone in this area so late on a Friday evening?” She wasn’t sure if she wanted to tell him about her bizarre date just yet.

 

“I just got off work,” he said simply.

 

“Isn’t the Crossroads on campus?” 

 

“That’s my other job,” he explained, “I pick up some shifts at a car repair spot over on 3rd. The Friday evening shifts kind of suck, but they’re quiet at least. Gotta afford textbooks somehow, right?” He smiled. “Now seriously, why are you out here?”

 

Something in Arya was struck by his mention of textbooks. His history textbook was used and almost falling apart and she had never even spared a second thought to how expensive her new copy had been. Gendry coughed and she realized that he was still waiting for her to answer his question.   

 

“I was having dinner,” she said, figuring that vagueness was the simplest option. They stopped at a light and he looked over at her, more confused than before. 

 

“In this area? Where?” He sounded genuinely curious. 

 

She asked if he had heard of Walder’s and his face screwed up. “That shithole? What in seven hells brought  _ you _ to Walder’s?” 

 

Arya hesitated. “I… had a date.” 

 

“Oh.” He paused and then started chuckling, “At  _ Walder’s?  _ How did that go?”

 

Arya thought for a moment and then let out a loud laugh. Her disappointment had faded away and now she was overcome with amusement over how terribly the date had gone. “If you insult your date’s family to his face twice and end up paying for a meal that you didn’t eat a bite of, is the date considered a success?” 

 

Gendry turned and stared at her and she bit her lip to keep herself from laughing more. “You’re kidding.” Arya shook her head. “He took you to the shittiest restaurant in town, you ate nothing, and you paid the bill?” Arya nodded. Gendry looked as if he had about a million questions but the one that he started with was, “Do you want to get McDonalds?”

 

Arya’s stomach seemed to jump at the suggestion - she was starving. “Gods, yes.”

 

“Good,” Gendry said, “because I also haven’t eaten and I think I need to hear all about this date.”

  
  


* * *

 

The only other patrons of the nearest McDonalds was a small group of drunk students, loudly discussing the party they had ditched. Arya ordered a burger and fries but before she could pay, Gendry stepped forward, added his own meal to the order and handed the cashier his card. Arya made a noise of protest that earned her another eye roll. “You’ve already paid for dinner tonight,” he shrugged.  

 

They sat down in an empty booth and Arya practically inhaled her burger. “Gods,” she said, leaning away from the table and patting her stomach, “that feels better.” 

 

“I’ll bet,” Gendry said, “but now that you’ve eaten, I need to know what kind of psychopath takes their date to Walder’s and then makes her pay for it.” He looked at her excitedly. 

 

Arya exhaled and resigned herself to telling him the story. She decided to skip the bit where Elmar had told her that everyone thought that Sansa was the hotter sister, not wanting any pity-induced assurance that it wasn’t true. Gendry’s face alternated between highly amused and deeply confused throughout Arya’s retelling of her evening. He almost spat out his cola when she told him that Elmar’s dad was Walder himself and that he lived above the restaurant. 

 

“So that was it for him, then? He just straight up went to bed before you’d even left?” Arya nodded and Gendry laughed again. She supposed it was because most of their time together was spent in classrooms or the library, but Arya had hardly ever seen him so animated. He was more fun that she had given him credit for.

 

“Oh,” Arya added, “and he called me his lady but, like, not as a joke.” 

  
Gendry froze with a french fry halfway to his mouth, “He didn’t.”

 

“Dead serious,” Arya said as Gendry dropped his fry and put his head in his hands. 

 

“No offence, but how did this guy convince  _ you _ to go on a date with  _ him _ ?” 

 

_ My lovelife is just so pathetic that my sister and our friends are forcing me to date their weird friends. _

 

“My friend set us up. She thought he was ‘weird in a cute way’ but I think I’ve proven that he’s just weird.” 

 

“Gods,” Gendry said, chuckling “Does your friend hate you?”

 

Arya couldn’t help but laugh. Jeyne Poole’s love life, though more active than Arya’s, was its own kind of disaster and, in hindsight, Arya should have expected her taste to be somewhat questionable. 

 

“Seriously though, I wouldn’t trust your friends to set you up on any more dates.” Gendry was now pointing a french fry at her in a mock-serious fashion. 

 

“If only it was that easy,” Arya said without thinking. 

 

Gendry’s eyebrow quirked upwards, “What does that mean?” 

 

Arya cursed herself internally. “I... My friends... Okay, remember last week when I was late for drinks and I said they’d kill me?”

 

“...Yes?” He looked lost. 

 

“Well, instead of killing me, they’ve decided to punish me by making me date their friends.” 

 

Gendry stared at her for a few seconds before responding. “What?”

 

“Each of them gets to set me up on a date and I have to go on the date and try to have a nice time. I think they’re just sick of me having nothing to add to the ‘boy problems’ conversations.”

 

Gendry let out a short laugh and looked at her sympathetically, “Well, this week you’ll have more than enough to add to it after an evening spent as Walder Jr.’s lady.” Arya rolled her eyes and threw a french fry at him. “Hey,” he laughed, “that wasn’t very ladylike!” 

 

They sat in McDonalds for another hour or so, talking about everything from the blonde kid in their class who talked too much to the librarian that always shushed their table. Gendry was convinced had a vendetta against him after she had once caught him eating Cheetos beside the antique book collection. 

 

Arya found out that Gendry was a couple years older than her because he had to take some time after secondary school to earn money to pay his tuition. Arya knew that that he was a Design major, and that he had decided to minor in History just because he enjoyed it. He told her that he wanted to be an architect and she made him pull up a couple of his sketches on his phone for her to admire - she had never had enough patience to draw with that kind of precision. 

 

He asked about her family. He knew who Sansa was through a few mutual friends, though didn’t know her personally.  _ Of course he knows of the beautiful Sansa Stark _ , Arya thought. She told him about her parents and little brothers back in Winterfell with her beloved dog, about Robb the lawyer and Jon the writer. 

 

Gendry seemed genuinely interested in her life, but his face dropped slightly when she asked about his family. His mother had died when he was a baby and he’d never known his father. “Some prick who couldn’t be bothered with being a father,” he shrugged. He had grown up in foster homes, never staying in one place too long. “But,” he said, “at least I’m not charging girls to eat nothing at my dad’s restaurant.” 


	3. Tormund

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Thanks for all of your nice comments! This story is just going to get sillier - I'm basically trying to fit as many cheesy romcom tropes into it as possible. I debated which wildling I wanted Ygritte to set Arya up with but I figured I had to go with Tormund, right?

Arya was at her and Sansa’s flat well before 7 the following Thursday, having learned her lesson about punctuality. Margaery had come by early to make margaritas and by 7:15 the girls were all gathered around the coffee table, eager to hear about Arya’s first date. Jeyne looked a little nervous, having sent an apologetic response to Arya’s text but knowing no specifics about the evening. Sansa was excited - she had heard the short version from Arya on Saturday morning and, while she had been deeply sympathetic at the time, she was now eager to hear the full details of the disaster.

 

By the time Arya had finished recounting her dinner with Elmar, Jeyne had her face in her hands and Ygritte was cackling. 

 

“I’m so, so sorry, Arya.” Jeyne said when she finally looked up, “I thought he was kind of intriguing. I really didn’t think he’d be that weird.” 

 

“So you had to walk all the way home?” Gilly asked, sounding concerned. 

 

Arya shook her head and explained that she had run into Gendry. Sansa turned to her sharply and said, “You never mentioned that!” 

 

Arya shrugged. “We got McDonalds and he drove me home. He’s convinced you all hate me, by the way.” 

 

Margaery and Sansa glanced at each other. “He took you to dinner?” Margaery asked, a smile playing on her lips. 

 

“And you told him about all this?” Sansa was too interested in this for Arya’s liking. 

 

“He’s my friend and he drove me home. Relax. Anyway,” she turned to Ygritte, “your guy better not be taking me to his dad’s gross restaurant.” 

 

Ygritte smiled brightly and shook her head. “He’s got something brilliant planned, you’ll love it.” Arya was skeptical, but she figured that whatever Ygritte’s friend had planned couldn’t be worse than her date with Elmar. 

 

* * *

She was right, in the end. It wasn’t worse than her date with Elmar, though it was closer than she had hoped.

 

Ygritte’s friend, who introduced himself as Tormund, picked her up late on Saturday afternoon. Ygritte had told her to wear hiking gear and running shoes and Arya couldn’t help but be a little bit excited. Hiking was something she loved to do back home and she missed it. 

 

Tormund was as striking as Ygritte described him - he was rugged looking, with bright eyes, a thick beard, and red hair pulled back into a bun. He reminded Arya of a viking. Together they drove an hour from Oldtown to the base of Horn Hill. 

 

Horn Hill was a popular trail that gave hikers a spectacular view of the Reach Region. To Arya’s surprise, Tormund did not park in the public parking area, but continued onto a narrow dirt road. “Have you ever climbed the north side of Horn Hill?” he asked. Arya shook her head and he smiled. “It’s the best.” He parked in a small layby beside a barely visible trailhead. No other cars were parked nearby. The sign was faded and all that Arya could make out was 

 

**Nor h Trail : EXPERIENC  HIKERS ONL** . 

 

“You got everything?” Tormund was re-tying his hiking boot against the bumper of his car. 

 

“I think so!” Arya replied, silently hoping that her Nikes would provide enough grip. 

 

Hours later, Arya stood atop Horn Hill and had fully taken into question her love of hiking. At Winterfell, she would hike in all sorts of conditions and was never afraid of getting wet or a little dirty. But the north side of Horn Hill was unlike anything she had ever tackled. 

 

First, there were the nettles. The path was completely unmaintained, forcing them to beat their way through the thorn bushes and nettles with sticks that Tormund picked up. Despite their efforts, they both came out of it with scratches and stings all over their legs and arms. Tormund seemed to find this highly amusing. “It’s an adventure!” he had exclaimed. 

 

Then, there was the 20-foot tall wall of stone that they had to climb. Tormund pulled a harness out of his pack and looked to Arya expectantly. “You need any help with yours?”

 

Arya blinked at him. 

 

“Did you bring a harness?” Arya’s wide eyed reaction had given him all of the answer he needed. To his credit, Tormund was a pretty good rock climbing coach. He harnessed Arya up and told her where the best footholds and were as she slowly made her way up. When she finally pulled herself to the top, Tormund got her to toss his harness back down and quickly joined her. 

 

Tormund never seemed to tire, and spent their ascent describing his travels and adventures and asking Arya about her own, tamer vacation stories. The rain was on and off, but when it was on, it was torrential. They crossed streams, scrambled up rocks, and even ducked under a waterfall. Though Arya considered herself relatively athletic, her legs were thrilled when Tormund told her they were only a couple of hundred yards from the peak.

 

When they finally did reach the top of Horn Hill, Arya had to admit that the view of the sunset was almost worth it. The skies had cleared briefly and their vista across the Reach was unobstructed. It was only when the sun was almost out of sight that she realized that they still had to get down the mountain. 

 

“Tormund,” she said, trying to not let her concern show, “Are you sure it’s safe to hike down in the dark?” He smiled brightly and dug into his bag. 

 

“Thought you might ask that!” He said, handing her a headlamp. “The only way to hike Horn Hill is to catch that sunset, so I always make sure I have some of these on hand.” 

 

The headlamp helped, but the way down the mountain was by no means an easy trip. The rain started during the first five minutes of their descent and didn’t stop, causing them both to slip every now and then. The streams that they had crossed were now fuller, forcing Arya to hold Tormund’s hand as they made their way through the freezing water. It would have been almost romantic if Arya hadn’t been cold, aching, and a little furious. 

 

Arya’s mind had been on the cuts on her hands and the bruises forming on her legs when they reached the sheer wall that they had climbed up. Tormund was staring at the drop, considering it. “In such wet conditions, I’m not sure if it’s totally safe to repel this guy. You down for a detour?” Arya agreed to the detour, figuring that anything was better than blindly repelling down a wet rockface. Tormund led them along the cliff until a short, steep trail appeared. “I think we’re best just sliding down it,” Tormund said and Arya stared at him. She realized he wasn’t joking when he sat down and slid down the muddy, wet trail. He reached the bottom and stood up gracefully. 

 

Having no choice but to follow suit, Arya slid down the hill, deeply regretting her decision to wear shorts for about the seventieth time that day. At the bottom, she stood up quickly and the momentum propelled right into Tormund, who caught her. She caught her breath and for a moment she let him hold her. She glanced up and him and saw that he was looking down at her, their headlamps illuminating each other’s faces.  _ This is nice,  _ Arya thought, before remembering that he was the reason she was soaking wet, freezing, and covered in scratches and stings.  _ No,  _ she amended,  _ he’s just warm _ . She pushed herself away from Tormund and started toward the main trail. 

 

The nettles and thorns were just as aggressive as they had been in the daytime, and by the time they reached Tormund’s car, Arya was sporting countless new scrapes and one large scratch along her cheek. She was shivering, bleeding, and ready to be home. Tormund spoke cheerfully on the drive back and apologized as he dropped Arya off, promising that he’d give her more of a heads up about his plan next time. She thanked him and hoped to the old gods and the new that there wouldn’t be a next time.  

 

* * *

Arya showed up to her group meeting the next day limping, with scabs and stings on her arms and the scratch across her face still fresh. “What the hell happened to you?” Lommy exclaimed, loudly enough to earn a stern glance from the librarian. Arya and winced as she sat down beside Gendry.

 

“I went for a hike.” 

 

Hot Pie shook his head seriously. “This is why I avoid physical activity - look what it does to people!” 

 

“Hey! I don’t look that bad,” Arya protested. Lommy made a face that suggested otherwise.

 

“You kind of look like you’ve just been dragged through a thornbush.” He said bluntly. 

 

Gendry hadn’t spoken and was silently reading, though Arya thought she could see him smirking. She sighed and opened up her textbook. Before she could find the page she was looking for, her phone lit up and she saw that she had a new message from Gendry. She glanced at him. He was back to innocently reading his book and writing notes. 

 

**Another memorable date?**

 

Arya narrowed her eyes and mentally chastised her past self for telling Gendry that she couldn’t come to the library on Saturday afternoon because she had a date.

 

****\- What makes you say that?** **

 

 

He let out a soft laugh when he saw her reply. 

 

**Did he take you to his fight club?**

 

****\- Ha ha.** **

 

 

**Did he actually drag you through a thornbush?**

 

Arya stared purposefully forward.

 

**It’s taking you way too long to reply to that.**

 

**He dragged you through a thornbush????**

 

****\- We hiked up the north side of Horn Hill and there may or may not have been a run in with some thorns and/or nettles** **

 

 

**Damn. It was pouring yesterday**

 

****\- I know.** **

 

 

**Your friends definitely hate you.**

 

**Was he nice at least?**

 

****\- Ya but maybe a shade too intense... He was surprised that I didn’t come prepared with my own rock climbing harness.** **

 

 

Gendry snorted, causing Hot Pie and Lommy to look up. “Sorry,” he said, “Just thought about something that happened yesterday. You guys found anything good for this Targaryen section?”

 

They focused on their project for the next while until Lommy started to doze off, prompting Arya to offer to go grab them all some coffee. She was walking back into the library with a tray of coffees in one hand and a muffin for Hot Pie in the other and was about to awkwardly attempt to open the door with her elbow when a voice called out. She turned and saw that the blonde guy from their history class who talked far too much was approaching her. “I’ve got that!” he said, opening the door and motioning for her to enter. She thanked him and he flashed her a very white smile. “You’re Arya Stark, right?” 

 

Arya nodded. “I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve -”

 

“I’m Ned. Ned Dayne. I’m a friend of Sansa’s - she’s friends with Loras’ sister, right?”  _ Ah.  _ She nodded.  __

 

The concept of popularity didn’t really exist at university the way it had done in primary and secondary school, but if there was a group of people that one could call ‘popular’ on Oldtown’s campus, it would be that group. Sansa, Margaery, Loras, and company were the type that would get invited to almost any party, regardless of what clique or fraternity was throwing it. It made sense, seeing as they were all exceedingly beautiful and exceedingly nice. Arya got along alright with most of them, but she couldn’t always handle being around large groups of shiny, peppy people for too long. She looked at Ned and knew he would fit with in with them. 

 

“I just figured I should introduce myself,” he continued as they walked up the stairs. “Since we’re in the same class and stuff. How are you finding the project?” 

 

“It’s good! Me and my group are actually working on it right now.” She nodded over to the table, where Lommy and Hot Pie seemed to be arguing about something as Gendry threw his hands up in frustration. 

 

“Cool,” Ned said as they approached Arya’s table. “Hey guys!”

 

Lommy and Hot Pie looked up, surprised, and returned Ned’s greeting. Gendry just nodded. 

 

“I’ll catch you later, Arya” Ned gave her a small wave as he walked away.

 

“You’re friends with that guy?” Lommy asked as Arya handed him his coffee, “Can you tell him to stop asking so many questions in class? He talks more than Yoren, I swear.”

 

Arya laughed and gave a small shrug. “He just introduced himself to me - he seems alright, though. Maybe a little too chatty, but he was nice to me.” Gendry snorted. “What?” Arya asked. 

 

“Of course he was nice to you,” Gendry said. He was smiling but there was a slight edge to his voice. 

 

“What’s that supposed to mean? He was nice to you guys, too!” 

 

“I’ve seen him outside of class loads,” said Hot Pie, “and he’s never said hi to me.” 

 

Arya looked at the three of them, confused. 

 

“You’re a pretty girl,” Lommy said, as if it was obvious. “He thinks you’re hot so he introduced himself. Didn’t want to seem like a dick, so he spoke to us too.” 

 

Arya began to respond but Hot Pie cut her off. “C’mon, Arry, I’m sure he’s okay, but there’s a reason he’s randomly introducing himself to you.” 

 

“That’s not- I’m not- you  _ just  _ said I looked like a mess today.” She was blushing now. Lommy laughed.

 

“You do look like a mess, but you’re still objectively pretty,” He looked between Hot Pie and Gendry as if asking for support. Hot Pie nodded and Gendry didn’t say anything, though Arya thought for a moment that she saw his face grow slightly pink as he stared at his notes. 

 

“You’re all full of it, you know that?” she said angrily as she sat down. Ned was just being nice.

 

Lommy opened up his mouth to say more but Gendry interrupted. “Leave it, Lom.” 

 

“Yeah, you don’t want to end up like Ramsay Bolton.” Hot Pie’s words shut everyone up. Gendry gave Hot Pie a look of exasperation before turning to Arya, who was staring at the three boys with her eyes wide. 

 

“You guys know about that?” Arya asked quietly. Anxiety washed over her. Had they only been nice to her because they were scared she would snap and punch one of them in the face?

 

“Know about it?” Lommy said in disbelief, “we were there! We were standing on the other side of the room, minding our own business, when we hear Bolton call someone a bitch and turn just in time to see you slug him.” He was grinning widely. 

 

“It was awesome, by far the highlight of any party I’ve ever been to. Not that I’ve been to all that many...” Hot Pie smiled, “Gendry said you were - ”

 

“Absolutely justified,” Gendry cut in. “That guy’s the worst. And it was a pretty good left hook.” He gave Arya an easy smile that she couldn’t help but return. 

 

“I’ve been wanting to thank you for that for months,” Lommy said, “‘cept Gendry said you might not want to talk it. But now that we’re talking about it - thank you.” Arya was so relieved to hear that they were pro-punching Ramsay Bolton that she decided to forgive them for being jerks about Ned Dayne, at least for the time being.


	4. Harry

Ygritte found Arya’s description of her date with Tormund highly amusing when Arya recounted their adventure over nachos with the girls. “Yeah,” Ygritte said with a shrug after she had finished laughing, “he can be kind of intense.” 

 

Margaery touched Arya’s knee gently. “I feel like the first two dates have been a little unfair,” She glanced at Jeyne and Ygritte, who looked apologetic and unaffected, respectively, “so for my date night, I want to make it casual as possible.” Arya looked at her hesitantly and Margaery beamed. “We’re make it more of a group thing! It’ll be like a girls night, but with a few boys sprinkled in.” They all grinned at Arya supportively and she managed a small smile in return.  

 

* * *

 

Arya appreciated Margaery’s attempt to make her date a little less date-like. She wasn’t as confident about Margaery’s decision to set her up with a frat boy. “He’s in the same frat as Loras!” Margaery had said, “It’s one of the good frats. Plus he’s super hot - Sansa totally used to have a thing for him! And if you don’t click then it’s fine because it’s a group thing! Just a bunch of friends grabbing a drink.” Arya had sighed and accepted her fate. She wasn’t sure that Sansa’s old crush was going to be her cup of tea, but Margaery was right - the group setting could come in handy if things got awkward. 

 

“Where are we meeting them?” Arya asked Margaery as they left her flat with Jeyne and Gilly - both Sansa and Ygritte had previous engagements. 

 

“That cute little bar on the southside of campus that we like,” Margaery replied, “I think it’s called The Crossroads?”  _ Perfect _ , thought Arya. She spent the walk over silently praying that Gendry wasn’t working, even though her dating experiences thus far made her almost certain he would be. 

 

The girls entered the bar and, sure enough, Arya saw Gendry putting glasses away behind the counter. “Oh Gilly, Marg, look,” said Jeyne behind her, “the hot bartender’s working tonight.” 

 

Margaery sighed and Gilly giggled. “Isn’t he a babe, Arya?”

 

Arya looked at Gendry. He was handsome, she could admit that much to herself. Gendry pushed his hair out of his eyes and stepped forward to take someone’s order. His blue eyes crinkled as he smiled at the customer and she saw what her friends meant, though she wasn’t sure she could ever bring herself to call him a ‘babe’ out loud. The way he leant on the bar gave her a nice view of his arms.  _ He’s strong _ , she thought.

 

“Yeah, she agrees,” Margaery said, laughing lightly and nudging Arya. Arya realized she had been staring toward the bar. 

 

“Oh, no that’s -” but before Arya could explain, the door opened behind them and Loras Tyrell walked in, accompanied by two friends. Looking as pristine as he always did, Loras greeted his sister and motioned his friends forward. Wat, who Arya sort of knew because he and Jeyne were “sort of” together, introduced himself properly and then swung his arm over Jeyne’s shoulder. Loras’ other companion was a sandy haired boy with sharp cheekbones and sparkling eyes. He introduced himself as Harry Hardyng and Arya stuttered out her own name as they shook hands. “Shall we find a table?” Margaery suggested. 

 

As they turned to find somewhere to sit, Arya glanced back at the bar and locked eyes with Gendry. She gave him a small wave and he smiled back. Gendry glanced at Harry beside her and gave her a meaningful and questioning look. She rolled her eyes and nodded, knowing that he was asking if this was another one of her dates. He gave her a thumbs up and mouthed ‘good luck’ before returning to his customers. 

 

Arya had been intimidated by how handsome Harry Hardyng was when they first shook hands, but the more he opened his mouth, the less appealing she found him. Harry was proud and self-indulgent. He spoke about his beer pong tournament successes as if he was a war veteran reminiscing about heroic battles. Arya had to keep herself from spitting her beer out when he started describing the intricacies of his signature trick shot without an ounce of irony. Despite Harry’s personality, the atmosphere of the evening was relaxed and Loras and Wat made for quite pleasant company. Arya made a mental note to thank Margaery for orchestrating a date that felt so little like a date. 

 

When Harry left to go to the bathroom, Margaery learned towards her. “I sort of forgot he talked about himself this much.” She looked deeply concerned. 

 

“It’s fine!” Arya said, semi-honestly, “He’s alright, really. And like you said, even if we aren’t totally clicking, it’s fun to hang out as a group.” Margaery smiled at that. 

 

Harry returned and Arya slid out of the booth to let him back in. Standing for a moment, Arya glanced over at the bar, less busy than it had been when they had arrived. Gendry was in close conversation with his coworker, a pretty girl with black hair. She seemed to be teasing him about something, poking him in the chest. Maybe she was his girlfriend. Arya had never considered that Gendry might have a girlfriend. She realized that she had never thought to ask about his love life despite their numerous conversations about her own.

 

Gendry rolled his eyes at the girl and looked over to Arya’s table, catching her eye. He jerked his chin up and motioned for her to come over. ‘What?’ she mouthed and he waved her over again. She grabbed an empty pitcher and told the table that she was going to get them a refill. 

 

“What’s up?” Arya said as she reached the bar, looking between Gendry and his coworker. 

 

“Bella, this is Arya,” Gendry said, “Arya, this is my sister, Bella.” Bella gave Arya a warm smile. Arya smiled back. 

 

“I didn’t know he had a sister,” Arya said as she shook Bella’s hand, prompting Bella to glare at her brother. 

 

“He’s always so private, isn’t he?” Bella said, ignoring Gendry’s affronted face. “We’re technically foster siblings. Lived in the same spot for three or four years back in the day. We ran into each other during his first year here. I got him a job and he got me a girlfriend. Isn’t that right, kid?” Gendry didn’t seem to enjoy being called ‘kid’, but he ignored it and turned to Arya. 

 

“You’re here with the blonde, yeah?” Arya nodded. “I told you!” Gendry said to his sister, who groaned. Arya looked between the two of them. Gendry’s arms were folded and his expression was a very odd combination of surly and uncertain. Bella exhaled.

 

“Your date just gave me his number,” she said, apologetically. Arya let out a loud laugh and clapped her hand over her mouth. She looked at Gendry, who seemed relieved that she wasn’t too upset. He shook his head in disbelief.

 

“Your friends have brutal taste in guys, you know that?” Arya couldn’t disagree with him.

 

Bella leant forward, “Anyway, want me to ruin his night?” Arya glanced at Gendry, who was smiling now. 

 

“What do you have in mind?”

 

* * *

 

Arya set the newly filled pitcher down and slid back into the booth, pressing her shoulder against Harry’s. “Hi,” she said. He smiled down at her.

 

“What took you so long?” 

 

“I saw someone I knew by the bar! What’d I miss?” Harry began describing the party he had been at last weekend. He was explaining the cricket-based drinking game that he had invented when Bella appeared at the table. 

 

“Hey,” Bella said, looking directly at Harry, who had gone a little white. 

 

“Hi,” he croaked back. Margaery looked between them, confused. Arya focused all of her energy into not laughing out loud. 

 

“I’m off at 11.” Bella smiled brightly as she addressed Harry.

 

“Uh... I… what?” He was growing paler by the second. 

 

“You asked me to text you when I’m off,” Bella said, pulling a napkin with his name and a telephone number scrawled on it out of her apron pocket, “But I saw that you were still here so I figured I’d just let you know in person.” She put the napkin on the table and Arya watched as both Loras and Margaery looked at the name and number and then snap their heads up at Harry in unison, a comically identical look of disbelief and anger on their faces. 

 

“Anyway,” Bella said cheerfully, “See you later, handsome!” She sauntered away. 

 

“What the fuck, Harry?” Margaery said. 

 

“Are you serious, mate?” Loras looked scandalized. 

 

Harry opened his mouth and closed it again. 

 

“I think you should go,” Gilly said. Arya glanced at the clock on the wall. 

 

“It’s already 10:30, Gil,” she said, “He might as well stick around if he’s got a date here at 11.” Wat let out a surprised laugh and Harry stared at her.

 

“I - excuse me,” Harry said after a moment, and Arya stood up to let him out of the booth. He left swiftly and Arya sat back down. The table stared at her for a moment before Margaery began apologizing. Loras shook his head and scowled, promising to never let his friend live this down. It took ages for Arya to make it clear that she was just fine with how the events unfolded, and actually pretty amused. Eventually, even Margaery had relaxed enough to laugh with Arya about what had just happened. 

 

“I knew he could be a bit of a pratt, but this is something else,” Loras said, still shaking his head at his friend. Margaery gave Arya another deeply apologetic look.

 

“I just wanted you to have a date with someone harmless and pretty,” she said, “Sansa said he seemed a bit dumb, but I figured that cute and dumb meant he would be like a nice puppy or something, not the world’s biggest prick.” Arya laughed at that and patted Margaery’s hand, telling her not to worry.

  
  


Arya slipped away shortly after to buy the table another round. She left an obnoxiously large tip in the jar, prompting Gendry to shake his head as he filled the pitcher. 

 

“There’s no need for that,” he said. 

 

“Please,” Arya replied, “Bella was amazing.” He smiled. “Plus, it was nice of you to look out for me.” 

 

“Friends don’t let friends date assholes,” he said with a smirk, handing her the beer. 

 

“You’d think, right?”

 

* * *

 

“I think I’m cursed,” Arya said, a couple hours and a few drinks later, arm-in-arm with Gilly as they made to leave.

 

“Nah,” Gilly replied, patting Arya’s hand, “It works out eventually, the timing just has to be right.” Arya sighed and nodded absent-mindedly. She noticed Gendry counting out tips at the bar, his jaw set as he did some math in his head. She couldn't help but smile at his deeply concentrated face. His hair was falling in front of his face again and she watched as he pushed it back. It looked both coarse and soft at once and she found herself wondering what it might feel like to run her hand through it.  _ Gods,  _ she shook her head,  _ alcohol turns me into preteen Sansa _ . “Now, I’m trying to decide who I want to set you up with,” Gilly continued, “It’s come down to a blonde guy named Chett or this dark-haired musician, though he sounds a little more mysterious. Do you have a preference?” 

 

Arya glanced the bar once more. “The one with dark hair.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that Harry and Margaery aren't canonically acquainted but I just wanted a guy who would likely hang out with the pretty and popular people and Harry totally fits that bill. Also I know this chapter is super cheesy but if you've made it this far in the story you should expect that because I'm all about the cheesy stuff! Thanks for the comments & the kudos!


	5. Dareon

The following Friday night, Sansa and Arya’s living room was covered in rejected outfits and hair appliances. Arya was being dressed up for her date while the rest of the girls were getting ready for a party. Sansa brushed a light, sparkly eyeshadow onto her sister’s closed eyes and stepped back to inspect her work. 

 

“Wow,” Sansa said, “you’re gorgeous. I’m not even touching your hair tonight.” Arya wasn’t always one for the glittery makeup, but every now and then she let Sansa work her magic. She had even agreed to wear a dress tonight, a simple little black one that she had borrowed from her sister. 

 

“So Gilly, tells us about this boy you’ve set my sister up with. I hope he’s better than the last one.” 

 

“I said I was sorry!” Margaery called from the bathroom, where she was curling her hair. 

 

Gilly looked up from her compact and over to Sansa, thinking for a moment. “Well… I’m pretty sure he dropped out of school to be a musician. Sam said he was really charming. He said he’d meet you at Dalla’s for ice cream.” Sansa and Arya looked at each other and then over to Gilly. 

 

“You have met this guy, right?” Sansa asked hesitantly. 

 

Gilly shook her head. “Nope. I don’t know any boys that I like enough to set up with Arya, so I just asked Sam if he had any single friends in town!” 

 

“Do you know his name?” Arya asked after a short pause. 

 

“Of course I do! It’s Damon. No, wait.” She checked her phone, “Dareon!” She smiled at the Stark sisters. Ygritte stopped braiding Jeyne’s hair momentarily to laugh out loud.  

 

“So you’ve set Arya up with a stranger…” Sansa’s voice was beginning to sound stressed. Arya touched her arm. 

 

“It’s okay, Sansa. No offence,” she said, glancing pointedly at Ygritte and Jeyne, “but the guys that haven’t been strangers have not exactly worked out, right? If Sam likes him, I’m sure he’s not a creep.” 

 

“I’m not sure how close he and Sam were.” Gilly said, “Sam just said that he was really charming.” Sansa made a noise of exasperation. 

 

“It’s fine,” Arya said, “It’s like a real blind date!” Sansa looked at her apprehensively. 

 

“If he’s a creep just say you have to meet us at this party. Even if he’s half decent you could bring him along. Or call me if you me need to come meet you!” 

 

“Sansa, relax. I’ll give him a chance - it’s just ice cream. And I’ll see you at the party later, okay?”

 

* * *

 

The party had hardly gotten underway when Arya squeezed through the crowded hallway and into the kitchen. Her hair was tousled and her lipstick was slightly smudged. She didn’t try to hide her scowl as she approached the girls, who she found standing by the kitchen table.

 

“Oh dear,” Sansa said under her breath. 

 

“Gilly,” Arya said through gritted teeth, “next time you see Sam, can you tell him that his charming friend Dareon is strictly the opposite of charming.” Gilly put her hands to her mouth. 

 

“What happened?” Sansa asked sharply, as she reached out to fix a few strands of Arya’s hair. Arya exhaled. 

 

“He was just very… forward.” She smoothed out her dress. “We spent about 5 minutes walking through the park with our ice cream before he tried to kiss me.” Gilly eyes went wide. 

 

“I tried to get him to back off but he kept trying so I had to sort of push him to get him off me… I didn’t even realize we were right beside the duck pond… I’m sure he’s okay, I just left… It’s not like it’s that deep right?” She realized that she had been rambling and looked up to see her friends staring at her, gaping. 

 

Gilly looked close to tears, “I’m so, so sorry, Arya, I should never have - ” 

 

“Wait, wait, back up. You pushed him into a duck pond?” Ygritte cut in. Arya winced and nodded. Ygritte clapped her hands and threw her head back in laughter.

 

“Boys like that are worst. Gods know I wish I had pushed a few into ponds.” Margaery looked positively awed and patted Arya’s shoulder. Jeyne was grinning widely. Gilly was still uttering devastated apologies. 

 

Sansa fixed the small smudge on Arya’s bottom lip and smiled. “Keep pushing boys into duck ponds when they act like that, okay?” Arya had rarely heard her sister sound so motherly. She smiled and nodded, finally calming down. 

 

The sisters’ moment was interrupted by a loud yell and Arya being swept into a hug. Lommy looked back over his shoulder and called out for Hot Pie. “Look who’s here!” The larger boy saw Arya and immediately rushed to join the embrace. They were both clearly intoxicated. “Arry, come have a beer with us!” It was then that Lommy the five other girls staring at him. He cleared his throat and let go of Arya, who made the introductions. 

 

“I thought there were three,” Sansa said after shaking Hot Pie’s hand, “Where’s the other one?” Arya looked to Hot Pie and Lommy. 

 

“Oh, Gendry? He’s just over there,” Hot Pie pointed through the open doorway into the next room where, sure enough, Gendry was sitting on the sofa looking bored. 

 

“Shut the f- ” But before Margaery could finish reacting to the revelation that a member of Arya’s history project team was also the hot bartender that herself, Jeyne, and Gilly had been admiring, Arya interjected.

 

“A beer sounds great, guys.” She grabbed Hot Pie’s arm and started out of the room. “See you in a bit!” She said to the girls, whose faces ranged from shocked to confused to amused. 

 

“Gendry! Look who we found!” Lommy said, forcing Gendry to look up from the floorboard he had been staring at. His eyes went wide when he saw Arya. She was suddenly very aware that she was wearing a dress and felt self-conscious. She wished she had gone home first to change into jeans.

 

“Where did she come from?” he said, smiling as Arya flopped onto the sofa beside him. She cracked open the beer that Lommy handed her as Hot Pie sat beside her and threw Gendry a can. 

 

“We found her with a bunch of other hot girls.” Hot Pie replied, “figured we needed to spread them out a bit, for the sake of the party.” Arya gave him a scathing look and whacked him on the arm. 

 

“Seriously though, I’ve never seen you wear a dress. What’s the story there?” Lommy leaned forward on the sofa to address her. 

 

She sighed and took a long swig of her drink.  _ Fuck it. _

 

“I was busy earlier tonight, setting the world record for the shortest first date in recorded history.” She said with faux grandeur. Lommy and Hot Pie insisted on the full story immediately and Gendry just shook his head in disbelief. 

 

“How are your friends so bad at this?” He said quietly. She spared him a  _ don’t-I-know-it _ glance before telling the boys about her 15-minute date with Dareon. Lommy and Hot Pie looked deeply amused. Gendry was shifted slightly when she mentioned the first kiss and his jaw seemed to tighten as Arya continued. It was only when Dareon ended up in the duck pond that he relaxed and joined in with Lommy and Hot Pie’s laughter.

 

“I’m sorry that your date sucked, but I would have paid to see you push a guy into a pond,” Lommy said, reaching over to cheers Arya’s can. She laughed and leant back on the couch, looking up at the ceiling. 

 

“Honestly,” she said, “I’m no dating expert, but I’m pretty sure that trying to make out with your date after knowing them for 10 minutes isn’t a normal thing. Right?” The boys all nodded in agreement. 

 

“He’s definitely not familiar with the Lommy Greenhands First Date Itinerary.” Arya nearly choked on her sip of beer. 

 

“The  _ what? _ ” she asked, wheezing. 

 

“My foolproof first date plan. It works like a charm, every time.” 

 

“Twice,” Gendry said, “It’s worked twice.” 

 

“Yeah, like I said - every time.” Lommy smiled. 

 

“And what is this foolproof first date plan?” Arya asked excitedly. Gendry groaned and Hot Pie rolled his eyes. 

 

“Glad you asked. So first of all - always bring flowers, but not expensive ones. Cheap flowers make it look as if you haven’t got much to give but you’re willing to give it all to her, which is way sexier than having a lot to give. Tell her she looks radiant instead of beautiful, beautiful is overused.” Arya caught Gendry’s eye and bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. “Then, you take her to dinner. Do something sweet like order an extra piece of garlic bread just for her. When you’re done, offer to walk her home. Ideally at this point it’ll be chilly enough that she’ll borrow your jacket. When you reach her place, tell her to keep the jacket - now you’ve got an excuse to see her again. Boom. Second date secured, and she knows you’re a good guy who’s modest enough to buy cheap flowers, but caring enough to get extra garlic bread. Works every time.”

 

“Twice,” Gendry repeated. Lommy shrugged, unbothered. 

 

Arya stared at Lommy and nodded, impressed by the care he had put into his dating plans. “And do you kiss her?” She asked. 

 

“Yeah, at the end of the night I usually try to throw in a good night kiss, but nothing more than a peck, you know? You gotta leave her wanting more.” Gendry and Hot Pie both scoffed. 

 

“Speaking of dates,” Lommy went on, “Is your sister single?” 

 

“And you,” Arya said, pointedly ignoring Lommy as she turned to turning to Hot Pie, “do you have any special first date formula that you swear by?” 

 

Hot Pie raised his eyebrows, “Me? Not really, no. I guess I usually take them to a bakery and they seem to like that. There’s nothing all that intimidating about a boy who loves croissants, right?” Arya laughed at that. “I don’t usually go for the kiss on the first date, though. Feel like I need to work my way up to that. There’s one girl I’ve taken to three different bakeries, though, and I’m not sure if she knows that they’re dates.” Lommy groaned loudly. 

 

“Not again. I’ll need another drink if we’re going to be talking about this.” He stood up and left to seek out more alcohol.

 

“Hey, wait up,” Hot Pie said, standing up and following him, “I want one too!” 

 

Arya turned to look at Gendry, who was staring after his friends, bemused. He turned to face her. “What?” He asked. 

 

“How about you?” He raised his eyebrows questioningly before she continued, “What’s your go-to first date gameplan?” 

 

He furrowed his brow. “I’ve never really thought about it. Dinner, I guess?” 

 

“Dinner, you guess? What a romantic,” Arya said teasingly, “You’re not even going to bring her cheap flowers to show how modest you are?” He laughed at that. 

 

“I’m more of a drag-my-date-through-stinging-nettles kind of guy,” Gendry said. Arya made a mock swooning motion with her hand against her forehead. 

 

“Irresistible,” she said, laughing, “And don’t forget to ask another girl out while you’re on the date.” 

 

“And make her pay, even if my dad owns the place.” They were both laughing now. Arya glanced up and was suddenly very aware of how close she was sitting to him. She could count the stitches in the small scar under his left brow. 

 

“And after this eventful date,” she said, surprised at how quiet her voice suddenly seemed, “do you kiss her?”

 

He looked down and shrugged. “It depends.” 

 

“On what?” her voice felt barely louder than a whisper. Gendry glanced back up, looking at her lips briefly before meeting her eyes again. 

 

“On if she wants me to kiss her,” he said gently. His face was closer now, his expression soft. Arya swallowed as she felt herself lean toward him. She shut her eyes as their noses brushed. 

 

A loud yell made them both jump and look over at the doorway, where Hot Pie was standing in shock, dripping in beer and foam. Lommy was doubled over laughing. “I told you!” He was saying. “You can’t open a beer that you’ve just tried to juggle, you idiot. Gendry, Arry, please tell me you saw that.” 

 

Arya’s heart was beating rapidly. She had almost kissed Gendry. She had  _ wanted  _ to kiss Gendry. Had he wanted to kiss her? It seemed like he had. She wanted to ask him, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at him, not with Lommy and Hot Pie right there. 

 

Arya forced herself to laugh. “That was amazing, Hot Pie. How did you manage that?” Lommy immediately launched into a detailed explanation of Hot Pie’s attempt at juggling. She stole a glance at Gendry, who was running his hand through his hair again. His cheeks were a little pink but he seemed otherwise unaffected as he smiled at Lommy’s story. Arya joined him in laughing when Lommy was finished. 

 

“I need to go clean this up,” Hot Pie said miserably, wiping his face with his soaked t-shirt. Lommy went off to help him, leaving Arya and Gendry in silence. She stared at her knees for a moment and took a breath. Before she could say anything, she heard her name called and looked up in time to see Ned Dayne drop onto the couch to her right. 

 

Ned was drunk and smiling. He pulled her into a brief, awkward one-armed hug and clapped Gendry on the shoulder. “Hey man!” Ned said enthusiastically. Gendry nodded curtly.  _ He doesn’t like Ned _ , Arya thought. 

 

“What’s up?” Ned asked, smiling at them both. Gendry didn’t respond and Arya wasn’t sure what to say.  _ Oh, you know, just trying to figure out if my friend actually wanted me to kiss him or not.  _

 

“Not much,” was what she went with. She glanced around, trying to think of something more engaging to add, and noticed a star tattooed on the side of his wrist. “Cool tattoo!”

 

“Thanks! I got it in King’s Landing last summer. I was in Flea Bottom - the sort of shitty area of the city - but there was this tattoo spot that didn’t look too sketchy, so I went for it. It reminds me of family, you know?” Arya smiled and nodded. The Dayne family crest had a star on it, if she recalled correctly.  

 

“Speaking of,” Ned continued, “I just found out this week that your dad and my uncle know each other! They’re old friends from college! How cool is that?” 

 

“No way!” Arya said politely. She knew that her father was old friends with many other sons of noblemen - the Daynes were an old, rich family from the southern part of Westeros, not far from Oldtown. 

 

“It’s cool, hey? And they were tight with Robert Baratheon, too. And Jaime Lannister was a few years below them. Now you and Sansa and I are friends, and Myrcella Baratheon goes here to - I think I saw her tonight actually. It’s like a new generation of the same old friends! We should all get together sometime.” He was grinning. Arya nodded and smiled. Ned was sweet and always seemed to be in a good mood, but she didn’t care all that much about recreating an old boys club with whatever Baratheons and Lannisters happened to also attend Oldtown. 

 

Ned leaned across her to address Gendry. “How about you, man? Did your parents also go to Oldtown?” He asked, and Arya wished the couch cushions would absorb her. Gendry looked at him with his eyebrow raised. 

 

“No idea,” he said, almost smiling, “I grew up in Flea Bottom, though - you know, the shitty part of King’s Landing? So I don’t think my folks were pals with Ned Stark and the like.” Ned’s smiled faltered slightly. 

 

“Sorry, man, I didn’t mean-” 

 

Gendry waved his hand and shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. You’re not wrong, it’s pretty shitty.” Ned’s smile returned. 

 

“Still,” Ned said, “I was being a dick. Anyway, I should go find my other friends! Nice talking to you guys!” He pulled Arya into a proper hug - though still slightly awkward, as they were both seated. “Catch you later!” He said as he stood up and left.

 

* * *

Sansa was experimentally making a cocktail in the kitchen when Margaery appeared at her side and nudged her shoulder. “We need to talk about what’s going on over there,” Margaery said. Sansa looked up and followed her gaze to see Arya laughing with her friend Gendry, their faces only a few inches apart.  _ Oh _ . 

 

“I think she likes him.” Margaery said, “Have you ever seen her look at anyone like that?” Sansa shook her head wordlessly and smiled. Her sister could make friends anywhere, but the expression on Arya’s face as she smiled at Gendry was something totally new. 

 

“Look at him.” Sansa said. 

 

“Oh, I have. He’s  _ gorgeous _ ,” Margaery replied. Sansa smacked her lightly on the arm.

 

“No, I mean look at him look at her. He’s practically swooning. She always says he’s the surly one, but he’s beaming.” Gendry was laughing at whatever her sister had just said and looking at her as if she was the sun. 

 

“He’s the one who took her to McDonalds,” Sansa carried on, “And she mentioned that he teases her a lot.” Margaery raised an eyebrow and hummed approvingly. “She never told me he looked like that.”

 

Their observations were interrupted by Arya’s other friends, who rushed through the kitchen, the slimmer one telling the larger one not to do something. They stopped in the doorway as the larger boy - Hot Pie - cracked open his can and was immediately drenched in beer. The two girls laughed and Sansa finished creating her cranberry orange gin and tonic, prompting Margaery to wrinkle her nose. 

 

“Seriously, though,” Sansa said, as Hot Pie dripped past her in the direction of the bathroom, followed by a cackling Lommy, “Do you think she knows he likes her?” Margaery shrugged. 

 

“She’d have to be blind not to. Though, if there’s one area that Arya might be a little bit blind in…” Sansa nodded. Though she had been surprised when Arya had said she’d never been on a date, it kind of made sense. Her sister had never realized how much attention boys gave her. Sansa herself had grown up boy-crazy and by the time she’d reached college, she knew what she wanted and how to navigate the whole romance thing. Arya didn’t seem to have time for romance growing up, and now she was a pretty, engaging, funny girl - albeit a little bit intimidating at times - who probably never even realized that boys liked her.   

 

“And the other problem is that I’m not sure she’d even admit she likes him to herself, let alone us.” Margaery nodded in agreement. 

 

“I mean, she still has one date left in our agreement.” Sansa said thoughtfully. “I could ask him out on her behalf.” Margaery considered this. 

 

“The issue is that she might think he just said yes to be nice, and he might feel like she’s only there because she has to be. We need to find a way to make one of them actually admit that they like each other.” Margaery said, her face pensive. 

 

They turned their attention back to the sofa and saw Arya being hugged by Ned Dayne. Gendry looked sullenly at the floor. Sansa and Margaery turned to each other, both thinking the same thing. 

 

“You think Ned will be game?” Sansa said apprehensively. Margaery scoffed as Ned moved towards the doorway. 

 

“Please. Ned loves this kind of thing. Remember in first year when he dated Loras for a week? All a ploy to make Renly jealous.” 

 

Ned Dayne entered the kitchen and smiled when he saw them. “Hey guys! Sans, I was just talking to your sister and her friend.” 

 

“How was that?” Sansa asked, considering her options.

 

Ned laughed, “I have a big mouth, I think her friend found me a bit obnoxious. Nice enough guy though.” He glanced back at the other room. “Are they together?”

 

Sansa and Margaery exchanged a glance. 

 

“Ned,” Margaery said sweetly, “How would you like to take part in a little scheme.” His eyes lit up as he looked between Sansa and Margaery. 

 

“What kind of scheme are we talking?”

 

* * *

 

Arya wanted to talk to Gendry. She wanted to apologize for Ned bringing up Flea Bottom and their parents. She wanted to tell him that she didn’t care where he was from. She wanted to find out if he had actually wanted to kiss her. It wasn’t something she was used to feeling and it made her insides feel good and bad at once, somehow. 

 

“Hey,” she started, “I wish he hadn’t he brought all of that stuff up. That was - ” 

 

“Yeah” he interrupted, looking straight ahead, “I’m sure you don’t want to draw attention to the fact that you’re friends with some bastard from Flea Bottom.” 

 

“What? No. Gendry, that’s not what I meant at all. I don’t care about any of that.” He knew that much, surely. Gendry looked at her skeptically. 

 

“It’s fine,” he said, “there’s lords and ladies and then there’s the rest of us.” She stared at him. 

 

“None of that is real, though. None of that matters, Gendry. It’s just a bunch of old names it’s-”

 

“Easy for you to say.” His voice was cold but his eyes looked somewhat unsure. Arya stared at him for a moment, confused. Why was he being such a jerk about this? She stood up to leave but spun to face him before she walked away. 

 

“Why does it matter all of a sudden?” He had never questioned their friendship before tonight. She stared at him, waiting for an answer. Gendry looked up at her and opened his mouth before shaking his head and shrugging. “Whatever,” she said, and left. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to Dareon but I wanted to spend this chapter working on more interesting relationships so his date just ended up being a bit of a nod to his and Arya's interaction in the books. 
> 
> Part of me is considering a shorter companion piece to this story from Gendry's POV (after I've finished this one obviously) just for fun... but we'll see on that! 
> 
> Thanks again for the comments and kudos - you are all very nice!


	6. Ned

Arya had been nervous to face Gendry at their group meeting the following week, but found that he was much the same as usual. He was perhaps more polite, and a little quieter, but he didn’t bring up their argument. Hot Pie and Lommy did not seem to sense any tension, which was reassuring. Gendry only seemed to revert to his grumpiest self when Ned Dayne said hello to Arya during class or when he passed by their table at the library, which he seemed to be doing more and more. 

 

Despite her relief that Gendry didn’t seem mad at her, Arya couldn't stop herself from continuously running over the previous Saturday evening in her head. She had gone from almost kissing him to practically yelling at him and had no idea which part of that was stressing her out more. She didn’t understand why he had to be so stupid and she didn’t understand why her heart sped up every time she thought about him. 

 

Arya was lying on her bed on Wednesday after class when she finally accepted it. She liked Gendry. She liked how he was both grumpy and sweet at the same time and she liked how much he made her laugh. She liked how it had felt to be so close to him on that sofa and she liked thinking about what might have happened if Hot Pie and Lommy had taken a few more minutes to get their beer. She stared at the ceiling, trying to figure out what to do about Gendry when there was a knock at her door.

 

“Hey!” Sansa said as she entered.

 

“Hey.” Arya didn’t really feel like talking to anyone. 

 

“I’ve finished arranging your date,” her sister said brightly. Arya shot up. 

 

“Fuck, I had forgotten about that.” She flopped back down and groaned. “Do I have to?” 

 

Sansa laughed softly and sat down beside her sister, “It’ll be fun! It’s Jeyne’s birthday this week so we’re going to have some people over and he’ll be your date for the evening.” Arya raised an eyebrow at her sister. 

 

“So he’ll be escorting me to a party at my own house?”

 

Sansa rolled her eyes. “Well it sounds weird when you say it like that! He’s just going to be your party date! It’ll be fun, I promise.” She patted Arya’s leg. Arya covered her own face with a cushion. 

 

“Who is he? Wait, let me guess.” She removed the cushion and looked at Sansa, “An axe murderer? Some guy you found on the internet? Has Joffrey Lannister got a twin?” Sansa threw the cushion at her now, laughing. 

 

“He’s nice, he’s handsome, and you even know him! You’re in class together.” Arya’s heart leapt into her throat.  _ No, _ she thought,  _ Sansa doesn’t know you like him _ . 

 

“Who -”

 

“Ned Dayne, silly!”  _ Oh. Oh Gods.  _ The horror must have showed on her face because Sansa raised an eyebrow and asked, “is that going to be a problem?”

 

“No,” Arya said, too quickly. Sansa looked at her curiously. 

 

“Are you sure?” Arya nodded. She couldn’t help but think about Gendry’s face if he heard she was going on a date with Ned Dayne. It made her stomach turn. 

 

“There’s not anyone else you had in mind, is there?” Sansa asked, carefully surveying her face. Arya emphatically shook her head. 

 

“Of course not.” 

 

Sansa looked at her for a moment longer and then smiled. “If you’re sure.”

 

* * *

 

“So,” Margaery started, lifting her wine glass, “here’s to Arya, for making it this far. Arya, you just have to make it through tomorrow and it’ll all be over.” The rest of the girls all cheersed to her. 

 

“I have to admit, I didn’t expect us all to be so bad at matchmaking,” Jeyne said as Margaery, Gilly, and Ygritte nodded. 

 

“Hey, maybe Ned will be the one,” Sansa said, nudging her sister. Arya had been staring into space and jumped. 

 

“Maybe,” she said, her mind still more focused on the internal debate she was having. She wasn’t going to do anything about Gendry. She couldn’t. Their last real conversation had been an argument and the last thing she needed was to make things more awkward. Besides, he was her  _ friend _ . She wasn’t going to risk ruining their friendship over a stupid crush. But late at night she would lay awake and think about what it would be like if he liked her back and no matter what, she couldn’t shake the image of his eyes pausing on her lips before meeting her own. 

 

She almost wanted to talk to Sansa about it, but that would mean admitting that she was losing sleep over a boy. This was unfamiliar territory for Arya and the thought of saying that she liked Gendry out loud was terrifying. And so, for now, her solution was to do nothing.

 

Arya’s Gendry-based train of thought was interrupted by Margaery. “How about to make up for our mismatches, Arya gets to set us up with her friends.” She was smirking. “Unrelated, but is that bartender friend of yours single?” The rest of the girls giggled. This, Arya decided, was torture. 

 

“He’s never mentioned a girlfriend,” Arya said, hoping that she sounded unaffected, “But he’s way too surly for you, Marg. You need someone a little livelier.” Margaery looked at Arya carefully. Arya thought she saw a trace of knowing in Margaery’s eyes before she turned to Jeyne and asked if she wanted more wine. Feelings, Arya decided, were far more stressful than any essay or assignment.

 

* * *

 

 

 

Professor Yoren finished off Friday’s lecture by reminding his class to fill in their group evaluations before the following week. Hot Pie and Lommy immediately began insisting that they were going to give each other horrible reviews. Arya caught Gendry’s eye briefly and he gave her a small smile as he shook his head at their friends. Her heart sped up.  _ This is pathetic.  _

 

They walked out of class together, neither one saying anything, though it seemed as if Gendry was close to speaking once or twice. Arya hesitated for a moment as they left the building. She wanted to talk to him but she had no idea what to say. Giving up on her ability to put any words together, she made to leave. 

 

“Wait.” Arya turned and saw Gendry running a hand nervously through his hair and looking at his shoes. “I want to say sorry.” She felt her breath catch in her throat as he looked up sheepishly. Had his eyes always been  _ this  _ blue?

 

“You don't have to -”

 

“No, I was an asshole. You were being a good friend and I was busy feeling sorry for myself. I’m really sorry.” She felt her cheeks grow warm under his gaze. 

 

“I meant it when I said that none of that stuff matters to me, but you were right - it’s easy for me to say that.” She gave him a small smile. 

 

“I didn’t have to be such a prick about it.” Gendry said, shrugging slightly. 

 

“No, you didn’t. But I didn’t have to storm off like that. So I say we’re even.” He smiled at that and shook his head. 

 

“I know better than to argue with you,” he said, grinning. They smiled at each other for a moment before he spoke again, his voice quieter and his eyes soft.  “Listen, I know you - ” 

 

“Hey Arya!” Ned Dayne had just left the building and smiled upon seeing her, “I’ll see you tonight, yeah?” Arya blinked at him and nodded automatically. He smiled and carried on swiftly. Arya looked back to Gendry. He was staring after Ned with a mixture of confusion and something else on his face. 

 

“What were you saying?” Arya asked, wanting to move past the interruption. Her heart was beating frantically. Gendry had been about to tell her something. 

 

Gendry turned back to her. “Ned Dayne, hey?”

 

“It’s the last one of the deal. It’s not even really - ” Arya said quietly. “Sansa - ”

 

“He seems nice.” Gendry said flatly, “I hope he’s better than the other ones.” 

 

“What were you going to say?” She asked again. Ned Dayne just had to pick that specific moment to leave the building. She was going to kill him. 

 

Gendry took a second to respond. “I was just going to say that I know you’re busy this weekend with your dad coming to town. We can meet-up on Monday.”  _ Oh _ .

 

Of course he hadn’t been about to ask her out. She felt like an idiot. “That should work,” she said, hoping her voice didn’t sound as hollow as it felt.

 

“Cool.” he said, “see you then.” He walked away, leaving Arya to her thoughts.

 

* * *

 

Ned Dayne arrived well before the party had got going, as he had been instructed. Sansa let him in and informed him that Arya was still upstairs getting ready.  

 

“Which,” she said, grabbing Ned by the arm and pulling him into the flat, “Gives us time to chat.” Margaery stood at the counter uncorking a bottle of wine over a large bowl of sangria. 

 

“I didn’t think it would take this long,” She said as she poured. “Want some?” Ned shook his head and she emptied the rest into her creation.

 

“Honestly, me neither,” he said. “I interrupted them in the middle of a pretty intense conversation today. I was sure it would have sparked some sort of grand confession that would have led to a cancellation tonight.”  

 

“Arya isn’t exactly an expert in romance, and it doesn’t seem that Gendry is all that confident either.” Sansa sighed. “I was also hoping that one of them would have done something about it by now, though.”

 

“That’s why we have tonight.” Margaery insisted as she added some orange slices to the bowl. “Ned is going to be a sweet, attentive date and Gendry’s going to be here to witness it all. He’ll break.” 

 

“Or she will, depending on how annoying Ned is.” Sansa said, smiling at her accomplices. “Worst case, we can always lock them them in a room until one of them admits that they like the other.” 

 

* * *

 

Arya stared at herself in her bedroom mirror. Sansa had pulled her hair into a pretty updo and Margaery had lent her a simple burgundy dress with spaghetti straps and a flowy skirt. She felt cute and absolutely miserable. She didn’t want to spend her evening attached to Ned. Ned was nice and always smiling and she knew that there really wasn’t anything wrong with him. He just wasn’t Gendry. She sighed and sat down on her bed as she pulled on the heels that Sansa had so carefully picked out. 

 

It was hard for her to be excited that she only had one date left when her thoughts were so consumed by her feelings for Gendry.  _ A stupid crush _ , Arya reminded herself,  _ he doesn’t like you like that _ . She had genuinely thought for a moment earlier that afternoon that he had been about to ask her out, but he had just been arranging another stupid meeting. She wished she could spend her evening alone in bed, thinking about the alternate reality where he  _ had _ been about to ask her out.  _ What have I become? _

 

Her phone lit up with a text from Sansa telling her that people were starting to arrive. Arya gave herself one last glance in the mirror before she left her room. At least she would look nice for her evening of suffering.

 

* * *

 

Arya had to hand it to her sister, she knew how to throw a good party. The music was a perfect mix of throwback classics and top-40 hits and the vibe was fun without being rowdy. Arya was nursing her sangria - Margaery always made it a little too strong for her liking - and standing beside Ned, who was beaming around the room not unlike a golden retriever might look at a room full of fellow golden retrievers. “This is awesome,” Ned said. 

 

“Sansa’s good at this,” she agreed, looking around. She was surprised to see Lommy and Hot Pie standing in a corner, looking a little shellshocked to be in Sansa Stark’s apartment. She wanted to go over and say hi, but she was supposed to be on a date and felt that Ned might not have appreciated her ditching him after only ten minutes. 

 

She asked Ned about himself. Though he loved to talk a little too much, Arya did find his company quite enjoyable. He was funny and polite and excited about everything. She found herself laughing far more than she expected. Nothing about Ned made her insides feel funny or her heart speed up, but she liked him.  _ A new, chatty friend _ , Arya decided. There were worse things. 

 

Lommy and Hot Pie caught Arya’s eye as they walked by and she waved. They both smiled and Ned turned to wave as well. “Your group members came! That’s awesome!” Arya nodded as Hot Pie and Lommy moved towards a couch. “Is the other one here, too? Gendry?” Arya prayed that her face remained neutral as she pretended to look around the room. She knew he wasn’t there. She would have noticed. 

 

“I don’t think so,” she said in what she hoped was a casual tone. Ned was also glancing around the room. 

 

“Huh.” He paused, “Hey, I’m going to go check with Sansa about something for Loras’ surprise party that we haven’t figured out yet - I’ll be right back, okay?” Ned sounded a little distracted and Arya couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. 

 

“Alright…” 

 

“Stay put, okay. I’ll be right back.” 

 

* * *

 

Sansa, Margaery, Gilly, Ygritte, and Jeyne were grouped around the kitchen counter when Ned entered. 

 

“We have a problem,” he said hurriedly, “Gendry’s-”

 

“Not here,” Margaery finished stonily. 

 

“But we made sure to invite him, didn’t we?” Ned said, looking between them. Sansa sighed. 

 

“I invited Lommy and told him to bring Hot Pie and Gendry,” Sansa said, frustrated. “I assumed he would come.”

 

Just then, Lommy and Hot Pie wandered into the kitchen looking for beer and stopped abruptly when they saw the group of girls and Ned staring at them. “Where’s your friend?” Jeyne demanded. 

 

“Uh, which -” Hot Pie began. 

 

“Gendry!” Ygritte interrupted.

 

“He’s at work,” Lommy said, confused, “What’s the big deal?” The girls groaned and Ned exhaled dramatically. 

 

“Is he planning to come by after work?” Sansa asked hopefully.

 

Lommy shrugged. “He’s not off til after 10. Plus we, uh,” He glanced at Ned, “told him he probably shouldn’t bother.” 

 

“ _ What? _ ” Margaery said loudly, “Why would you -”

 

“Because Arya is here with Ned,” Sansa said, understanding, “Laughing at his jokes and looking like she was having a great time”. She looked at Lommy and Hot Pie, who nodded wordlessly. Ned groaned now. 

 

“Can I ask what’s going on?” Hot Pie asked after a moment. “Why would it have been better if Gendry had been here for this?”

 

“We wanted to make him jealous,” Ned said, “but with him present so that he could do something about it. Or so that Arya could do something about it.” 

 

“Basically we just wanted to get one of them to admit their feelings to the other,” Margaery said, sounding deeply disappointed that her scheme hadn’t worked. 

 

Hot Pie looked to Ned. “So you and Arya -”

 

“Just friends,” Ned said. 

 

“And she’s told you she likes Gendry?” Lommy asked, addressing the girls. They exchanged a look. 

 

“We’re about 99% sure,” Margaery said. “But he does like her, right?” 

 

Lommy and Hot Pie exchanged a look before they both started laughing. “Like her?” Lommy said when he caught his breath, “He’s totally smitten with her. It’s a little bit pathetic.” Hot Pie nodded in agreement. 

 

“We’ve been telling him to just ask her out,” Hot Pie added, “But he’s so stubborn. Think she’s well out of his league. Which she is, but that’s not important.” 

 

“So what now?” Gilly asked quietly. 

 

They all stood in silence for a moment, thinking. “The thing with Arya,” Sansa said, “Is that she’s never going to admit that she likes Gendry to any of us.”

 

“The other thing about Arya,” said a voice from the doorway, “is that she’s very light footed, I hear. Good at sneaking up on people.” Arya leant against the frame with her arms crossed, Sansa’s heels dangling in her hand. She looked furious.


	7. Gendry

The kitchen stared at Arya and she narrowed her eyes, “Is anyone going to explain what’s going on?” She glared at Sansa, who didn’t flinch and stared right back. 

 

“How much did you hear?” Sansa asked. 

 

Arya cocked her head slightly, curious. “Just that you seem to think that I’m incapable of admitting that I like… someone,” she said coolly. “Why, was there more?” Everyone in the room seemed to exchange a glance. “What?” 

 

Sansa rolled her eyes. “Oh come  _ on _ , Arya. Just say it.” Arya felt herself face heat up. How were this many people involved in a conversation about her feelings? She looked at Sansa again.

 

“But you set me up with Ned!” She turned to Ned, who shook his head and gave her an apologetic smile. 

 

“Yeah,” Margaery said, “because we thought Gendry would be here to see it. Instead, he’s at work and thinks you’re into Dayne, thanks to these two.” She jerked her head towards Lommy and Hot Pie, who looked at her guiltily. 

 

“We didn’t realize you liked him!” Hot Pie said. 

 

“I don’t!” Arya insisted, and everyone groaned. “He doesn’t like me like that,” she added quietly. 

 

Lommy and Hot Pie both scoffed and Arya looked at them, her eyes wide. 

 

“You should ask him about that,” Lommy said flatly.

 

Arya stared between Lommy and Hot Pie, Ned Dayne, Ygritte, Gilly, Jeyne, Sansa, and Margaery. “I - You all know?” 

 

Sansa smiled at her kindly. “Arya, it’s pretty obvious. You should tell him how you feel.” Lommy and Hot Pie nodded enthusiastically. Her heart was pounding. She thought of Gendry’s face after class and felt her stomach drop slightly. They were trying to make him  _ jealous _ ? He thought she liked  _ Ned _ ? 

 

“Fine!” Arya said abruptly, dumping the heels on the floor and grabbing a hoodie from the coat hook just inside the kitchen.

 

“What are you doing?” Sansa said. 

 

“I’m telling him!” Arya replied as she zipped the sweater up.

 

“It’s pouring!” Margaery said, aghast. “You’ll get soaked.” 

 

Arya ignored this and turned to Lommy. “He’s at the car shop on Fridays right?” Lommy nodded.    
  


“It’s all the way over at, like, 3rd and Steel, though” he said, “It’ll take you ages to get there.” 

  
“Are any of you sober enough to drive?” She asked as she grabbed her running shoes from the shoe rack and clumsily pulled them on. No one answered. “Right.” She checked her phone. 9:38. “So I should probably hurry up if I want to catch him.” 

 

* * *

Margaery had been wrong. It wasn’t pouring, it was just drizzling. Arya wiped a few drops off of her face as she began to run. The intersection of 3rd Avenue and Steel Street was just a couple of blocks further away from campus than Walder’s, so she figured that she could make it there in under half an hour if she hurried. She had always been fast.

 

The storm had made the ground muddy and she felt the spray of dirt on her calves. The rain was light but constant and after a few minutes it began to soak into her cotton sweatshirt. 

 

Walder’s appeared in front of Arya sooner than she expected. She checked her phone as she caught her breath. 9:55. She wasn’t far. 

 

The area around 3rd and Steel was heavily populated by auto repair shops and industrial buildings. Arya came to a halt and looked around, trying to decide which one Gendry was most likely to be at. The repair shop closest to her was dark and had a small “closed” sign on its door. She squinted at the building across the street and saw that it was a construction supply store. She wandered down the block, hoping for some sign of light. 

 

Arya was warm after running and pulled her hoodie off, tying it around her waist. The block was very dark and it occurred to her that she was quite alone in a part of town that she wasn’t too familiar with. Maybe Gendry had already left for the night. She would have to walk home alone and talk to him another time. She was beginning to feel quite silly. 

 

Her wave of self-doubt was interrupted by a sharp clanging sound. Arya followed it to an awning with the name  _ Mott’s _ painted on it. There was a small “closed” sign hanging in the front window, but she peered down a small side street and saw light spilling out of an open garage, where she heard tinkering noises. The beat up sedan parked in the alley made her heart leap into her throat. 

 

Arya approached the entrance slowly, suddenly nervous. She looked at her mud soaked feet before glancing into a window and seeing her full reflection. Her hair was partially damp and falling out of the pretty updo that Sansa had so carefully done for her. Her cheeks were red from the exercise and she looked ridiculous with the hoodie tied around her dress. Trying to ignore all of this, Arya pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and took a deep breath. She had come this far. 

 

The garage was half lit under fluorescent lights and Gendry took no notice of Arya’s presence as she walked in. He was leaning under the propped-up hood of a truck. A dirty rag was resting on his shoulder atop an oil-stained t-shirt. He had his headphones on and was using a tool to attempt to readjust something. 

 

She stepped closer, unable to take her eyes off of him. He paused for a moment and stared at the area that was troubling him under the hood. He wore the concentrated expression he got when he thought too hard about something and Arya smiled. She took a deep breath. “Hi,” she said, softer than she had meant to. 

 

Gendry took no notice and began to twist some sort of cap with his wrench.  _ Stupid headphones _ , Arya thought before she cleared her throat and said, much louder this time, “Hi!” 

 

Gendry jumped and immediately smacked his head against the hood of the truck. “ _ Fuck! _ ” he yelled as he dropped his wrench loudly on the cement floor and clutched the back of his head, wincing. His eyes opened and, upon seeing Arya, widened. He frowned slightly.

 

“Are you okay?” They said in unison. Arya almost laughed but Gendry continued to look worried. He looked her up and down. 

 

“Did you walk here?” He asked incredulously, and then, before she could answer, “Did Dayne do something?” 

 

“What? Oh!” Arya shook her head frantically, “No, no I -” 

 

“Aren’t you supposed to be on your date with him?” Gendry sounded more confused than concerned now as he wiped his hands on his rag. 

 

Arya nodded, her mouth suddenly dry. She was still trying to figure out how exactly she wanted to phrase the mess of things that her brain was telling her to say to him. 

 

“Okay,” Gendry said, still clearly unsure about what was going on. 

 

“I thought I might have missed you,” she said, rocking on her feet a little, “the sign out front says you’re closed.”  _ Just tell him _ , said a voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like Sansa’s. 

 

“Oh,” Gendry said looking down at his hands, “yeah, we closed a while ago. I just stick around to help them get a headstart on their weekend.” He swallowed, “Why are you here? Your date -” 

 

“It’s over,” Arya said, “the date’s over.” Gendry looked up at her curiously and wiped a bead of sweat from his brow.

 

“Why? Didn’t like him?” He sounded almost hopeful. 

 

“I did like him,” she said, and Gendry dropped his eyes. 

 

“That’s -” he started, but Arya kept speaking.

 

“But as a friend. Not the way I like you.” She said it quickly and immediately felt her face redden. His eyes snapped back up to hers and he stared at her as if trying to figure out if he had heard her correctly. 

 

“Not the way - What do you mean?” He asked, his eyes wide and his voice a little strained, “How do you like me?”

 

Arya took a deep breath and stepped forward to close the gap between them. She stopped in front of him and looked up, narrowing her eyes.

 

“You’re going to make me say it?” She asked. Gendry nodded, still looking stunned. It almost seemed as if he was holding his breath. “I like you as a friend, too. But also as more than a friend,” she said, trying to focus on her words instead of how his eyes seemed to be sparkling. “I like you a lot more than any of the boys I’ve had to go on dates with.” She dropped her eyes from his, “and I like you enough to tell you this while I look like a disaster.” He laughed lightly at that and she felt her face grow even warmer. 

 

Arya’s breath caught as Gendry reached out and brushed a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, his fingers lightly tracing her cheek. Her eyes fluttered shut. His hand followed her jawline and he tilted her chin up. Arya opened her eyes to his face just a couple of inches from her own.

 

“Nice, though,” he said, his voice a little nervous despite his small smile, “a nice disaster.” Before she could reply, he brought his face to hers. Arya had been kissed before, but never like this. The kiss was light and cautious but her spine tingled and she felt warmth spread to her toes. His lips were soft against hers and his thumb delicately traced a small section of her jaw. It was deliberate but careful and it made her feel a little bit dizzy. It was over far too quickly for her liking. 

 

Gendry pulled away and looked at her hesitantly, as if he wanted to make sure it had been alright for him to kiss her. Before he could ask her such a stupid question out loud, Arya stood on her tiptoes, put her arms around his neck and answered him enthusiastically. This kiss was different. The caution had been replaced by eagerness and rather than a nice, warm feeling, Arya felt as though her entire body was on fire. Gendry’s lips were more inquisitive now, parting hers with a hint of desperation as his hand cradled the back of her neck. He placed his other hand on her back and pulled her closer as she ran her fingers through his hair. This was met with a small, soft humming sound that Arya would never have thought him capable of making. 

 

When they finally paused to catch their breath, Gendry looked at Arya and smiled sheepishly.  “Sorry,” he said, running his thumb along her cheek, “got a bit of grease on you.” 

 

She blushed, her insides still reeling. Arya had spent a good portion of the last week thinking about what it might feel like to kiss Gendry but none of her daydreams had given him enough credit. 

 

“I also like you as more than a friend, by the way,” he said, smiling. He looked quite pleased with himself. Arya rolled her eyes. 

 

“Easy to admit after I put myself out there,” she cross her arms and smiled. 

 

“I kissed you first,” Gendry shrugged, “so I say we’re even.” 

 

Arya considered this and nodded. “Plus, I had an advantage.” Gendry raised an eyebrow. “Lommy and Hot Pie aren’t great at staying quiet.” His eyes widened and she laughed. 

 

“What did they say?” Gendry asked nervously. 

 

“Oh, everything,” Arya teased, deeply enjoying how much this was making him blush, “I’ll tell you over some french fries. My treat.” 

 

* * *

 

Arya woke up the next morning in a room she didn’t recognize still wearing the dress she had borrowed from Margaery. She panicked for a moment before remembering the night before. They had gone to McDonald’s and then back to Gendry’s flat. Neither of them wanted to face all of the girls, Lommy and Hot Pie, and Ned all at once. Arya did make sure to text Sansa so that her sister wouldn’t send out a search party. 

 

They had sat on Gendry’s couch for ages, talking and kissing and thinking up ways in which Arya’s friends could make up for the scheming, conspiring, and overall terrible attempts matchmaking. She figured that she must have fallen asleep. Arya looked around Gendry’s room, taking in his band posters, his desk littered with sketches, and the small framed photo of a blonde woman - his mother, she assumed - beside his alarm clock. Gendry himself was nowhere to be seen. 

 

She found him curled awkwardly onto the couch, covered by a blanket that was comically small for his enormous frame. She shook her head at him and leaned over the back of the sofa to shove his shoulder. He blinked groggily and mumbled something before opening his eyes properly. His face lit up. “Hey.” 

 

“You’re so stupid,” Arya said, and his face fell slightly, “You should have taken the bed, I’m half your size! Or we both could have slept there. This can’t be comfortable, or good for your back.” His smile returned as she chastised him. 

 

“I was just trying to be a gentleman,” he said, sitting up and groaning slightly as he stretched out his shoulders. 

 

“You’re an idiot.” 

 

He stood, arms up defensively. “You fell asleep and I didn’t want to cross any lines. But,” he moved to her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, “if you’re that eager to get me into bed, I’m not objecting.” He smiled and Arya felt her cheeks redden. She liked the sound of that more than she wanted to admit.  _ When did he get so forward? _

 

“You’re so cheesy,” she said, elbowing him in his side as he moved into the kitchen. He grinned at her as he filled the kettle. 

 

“By the way, Sansa knows you fell asleep here. I messaged her on Facebook so that she wouldn’t worry.” Arya was struck by how much affection she felt for him in that moment. Sansa probably would have waited up for her otherwise. Arya moved to him and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. 

 

* * *

 

“Does this count as a walk of shame?” Arya asked with a smile as they left Gendry’s and started towards hers a little while later. He considered this.

 

“Depends how much you regret it, I guess,” he said, grinning. Arya hummed as if unsure, prompting Gendry to sigh defeatedly. “I knew it was too good to be true,” he said wistfully, “Arya Stark falling for a lowly mechanic?” She shoved him hard and he stumbled into a muddy puddle. 

 

“Serves you right,” she said, walking on as he extracted himself from the muck. 

 

He caught up to her swiftly and slipped his hand into hers. Arya rolled her eyes but didn’t object. “I was just teasing,” he said, lightly knocking his shoulder into hers, “I know that the bartending is the real shame.” She glared at him and he grinned. 

 

“Stupid,” Arya muttered, shaking her head. His smile widened. 

 

“I like you, too.”

 

She thanked him for walking her home when they reached her front door, squeezing his hand before letting it go. He leaned down and tried to give her a light kiss but she quickly deepened it, her hands on his face and his around her waist. She considered momentarily why she had decided to come home at all. Gendry had an empty apartment with a perfectly good couch.

 

Her thoughts - and their kiss - were interrupted by a car door opening and then slamming. They broke apart and Arya’s eyes widened as she looked to the driveway. Ned Stark was standing by his car looking between them, his face more confused than angry, though his eyes did flicker a little dangerously.

 

“Hi, dad,” Arya said meekly. 

 

Beside her, she heard Gendry let out a very faint, “Oh.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Obviously Ned is very taken aback when he sees his college best friend's doppelganger kissing his youngest daughter but I promise he'll get over it and Gendry and him will get along. Gendry's the ideal future-son-in-law.]
> 
> I figured I'd end this super cheesy story in a super cheesy way! Thanks for all of your kudos & nice comments - I really appreciate them, you are all the best! Maybe I'll do a(n even more cliché) companion piece - we'll see!


End file.
